Rhode Island Has the Only Cesspool Act in the Country

Rhode Island's Cesspool Act is the only law of its kind in the country, and the DBR tests the mandatory inspection period directly.

The Pearson VUE exam for Rhode Island tests 20 state specific questions alongside 80 national questions with a 70% passing threshold. The state portion is compact but precise. Mandatory disclosure forms, the Cesspool Act of 2007, and Rhode Island's lead paint mitigation requirements each contain specifics that no national prep course covers.

Mandatory Disclosure Forms

Rhode Island's Real Estate Sales Disclosure Form covers a broader range of property conditions than the federal baseline, including structural defects, environmental hazards, and regulatory issues, and the DBR tests that scope, not just what federal law requires.

Rhode Island requires the Real Estate Sales Disclosure Form covering everything from structural defects to environmental hazards, students fail by confusing Rhode Island's detailed form with the less specific federal requirements.

The Pearson VUE exam will ask what the Rhode Island form requires beyond federal disclosure obligations, who must complete it, and what consequences follow if it is not provided. Know all three dimensions of this state-specific requirement. I don't make the rules. I just make sure you know them better than whoever's sitting next to you.

Cesspool Act of 2007

Rhode Island's Cesspool Act of 2007 is unique in the country. No other state mandates a cesspool inspection window as a condition of sale, and the DBR tests it because the rule affects nearly every older residential transaction in the state. The statute is more specific than people expect: it's the buyer who holds the 10-day inspection right, not the seller, and the phase-out obligation is triggered by the cesspool's classification, not simply its age.

Rhode Island law gives buyers a 10 day inspection period to determine if a cesspool exists and whether it's subject to mandatory phase-out, a state specific topic that exists in no other state.

Know that buyers have a 10-day inspection period, what triggers mandatory cesspool phase-out, and what seller disclosure duties apply before the buyer exercises that inspection right. These are the specific questions the DBR exam asks.

Lead Paint Mitigation

Rhode Island's lead paint requirements extend beyond federal 1978 disclosure rules and apply to out-of-state licensees as well. No other state imposes a mandatory continuing education requirement specifically for lead paint mitigation on every licensee, which is why this catches candidates off guard. This is the kind of detail the exam loves, and most prep courses skip.

Rhode Island's lead laws go beyond federal 1978 disclosure, even out of state licensees must complete a mandatory 3-hour lead poisoning and mitigation course, and the exam tests Rhode Island's stricter standards.

Lead paint disclosure requirements are governed federally but enforced differently at the state level. Connecticut has its own lead paint inspection requirements for pre-1978 homes, and Vermont mandates lead paint disclosures under its own housing law. Rhode Island's lead paint mitigation rules add a state enforcement layer that goes beyond the federal standard.

Know that the 3-hour lead course is required for all licensees, including those licensed in other states, what triggers the requirement, and how Rhode Island's enforcement standard differs from the federal baseline. The DBR exam tests each of these elements.